Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi has reaffirmed that the affairs of Hong Kong fall within China's domestic affairs, in which no countries have the right to interfere, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here on Sunday.
Yang clarified China's position on issues concerning Hong Kong during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday, Qin told reporters.
Yang voiced hope that the U.S. side will be discreet with its words and deeds and refrain from supporting, in any form, such illegal activities as "Occupying Central," Qin said.
"We are resolutely opposed to all kinds of illegal activities that undermine Hong Kong's rule of law and social order and firmly support the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government in handling these in accordance with the law so as to safeguard Hong Kong's social stability," Yang was quoted as saying.
The decision on the election of a chief executive for Hong Kong by universal suffrage was made by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee in line with the Basic Law of the HKSAR, Yang noted.
It adequately responded to opinions from all circles of Hong Kong society and complies with the region's realities, and is thus conducive to safeguarding China's national sovereignty, security and development interests as well as to Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, he said.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Chinese state councilor urges non-interference in Hong Kong affairs
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi has reaffirmed that the affairs of Hong Kong fall within China's domestic affairs, in which no countries have the right to interfere, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here on Sunday.
Yang clarified China's position on issues concerning Hong Kong during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday, Qin told reporters.
Yang voiced hope that the U.S. side will be discreet with its words and deeds and refrain from supporting, in any form, such illegal activities as "Occupying Central," Qin said.
"We are resolutely opposed to all kinds of illegal activities that undermine Hong Kong's rule of law and social order and firmly support the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government in handling these in accordance with the law so as to safeguard Hong Kong's social stability," Yang was quoted as saying.
The decision on the election of a chief executive for Hong Kong by universal suffrage was made by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee in line with the Basic Law of the HKSAR, Yang noted.
It adequately responded to opinions from all circles of Hong Kong society and complies with the region's realities, and is thus conducive to safeguarding China's national sovereignty, security and development interests as well as to Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, he said.
President Obama’s credit card got rejected last month. Here’s what happened next.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
By Katie ZezimaPresidents, they're just like us -- their credit cards get declined. President Obama's credit card was rejected last month at a restaurant in New York. "I went to a restaurant up in New York when I was -- during the U.N. General Assembly, and my credit card was rejected," Obama said Friday while signing an executive order to protect consumers from identity theft. "It turned out I guess I don’t use it enough. They were -- they thought there was some fraud going on. Fortunately, Michelle had hers." And, yes, Obama had to defend himself. "I was trying to explain to the waitress, you know, I really think that I’ve been paying my bills," Obama said. "Even I’m affected by this." Obama has been concerned about the state of his credit before. In Austin in July, he ordered more than $300 worth of barbecue and realized he didn't have enough cash. So he pulled out his credit card but asked trip director Marvin Nicholson if it was good before handing it over to the cashier. Nicholson assured Obama that the card - photos show it as a black JP Morgan card - would work, and apparently it did. Despite this, when Obama went to a boutique grocery store in Minneapolis in June he paid for $82.55 in groceries with cash. At the time, he said he only carried cash and his driver's license in his wallet. Obama isn't the only high-profile government figure to run into financial rejection. Former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said in Chicago this month that the market is so tight he couldn't refinance his home. "I recently tried to refinance my mortgage an I was unsuccessful in doing so," he said, according to Bloomberg. "I’m not making that up.”
Obama: ‘We can’t give in to hysteria or fear’ of Ebola
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
By Greg Jaffe and Amy BrittainPresident Obama on Saturday sought to tamp down fears of an Ebola outbreak and defend his administration from Republican critics who have called for a more aggressive response to the disease, including sealing off U.S. borders to visitors from countries battling widespread outbreaks. “We can’t just cut ourselves off from West Africa, where this disease is raging,” Obama said in his weekly radio address. “Trying to seal off an entire region of the world — if that were even possible — could actually make the situation worse.” Such actions would make it harder for American health-care workers, soldiers and supplies to reach stricken areas and could prompt residents of countries in West Africa where Ebola is still spreading to try to evade screening on their way to the United States or Europe, Obama said. The president’s main message was one of calm, coming at a time of growing worry in communities throughout the country. “We can’t give in to hysteria or fear, because that only makes it harder to get people the accurate information they need,” Obama said. “If we’re guided by science — the facts, not fear — then I am absolutely confident we can prevent a serious outbreak here in the United States.” Later on Saturday, Obama received updates on the process to identify and monitor individuals who may have come into contact with Ebola patients in Dallas. The president also was informed about measures to ensure that the city had all the resources it needed to diagnose new cases, the White House said. As Ebola fears have spread, some urgent-care clinics have taken steps to identify red flags, such as recent travel to West Africa, before patients ever set foot in the clinic. AFC/Doctors Express, a national chain of more than 130 urgent-care clinics, with facilities in Alexandria, Va., Woodbridge, Va., Edgewater, Md., and Towson, Md., fields some of its patient calls through a national call center that’s designed to screen symptoms before patients show up to see a doctor. On Friday, the call center developed a new Ebola fact sheet and script to ask patients about their travel history, said Glenn Harnett, the chief medical officer for AFC/Doctors Express. More Often, the clinics have seen cases of irrational fear. Some patients have requested Ebola tests even though they aren’t ill, Harnett said. He told the story of one patient who had recently traveled to Mobile, Ala., and requested that he be screened for Ebola, despite having no symptoms nor any interaction with someone who was sick. The patient had grown concerned because of Mobile’s position as a port city and felt that he might be vulnerable to exposure. “We’d probably have lines down the street if we had an Ebola vaccine, but so many more Americans will die of influenza,” Harnett said. “I find that somewhat frustrating as a clinician, but people are people, and they’re going to have the fears that they have.” Some of those fears have even reached the White House, where a petition calling for the Federal Aviation Administration to ban flights to and from Ebola-stricken regions had more than 45,000 signatures by Saturday evening. In the heat of election season, politicians have begun weighing in on the issue. And citizens have swarmed social media to share stories of local hysteria.At the Pentagon, workers donned hazmat suits to clean up after someone got sick in the bathroom. In the Washington area, Howard J. Bennett, a pediatrician and author, said he was asked by one concerned patient about the chances of contracting Ebola by using a bathroom at a mall where someone with the disease had visited. Bennett said he reassured the patient that it was safe. Obama on Saturday stressed that an outbreak of the disease in the United States was, at best, a remote possibility. He noted that Ebola is much harder to contract than the flu and can be spread only through contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is showing symptoms of the disease. He also emphasized that U.S. health-care officials had established protocols to fight the disease and prevent its spread. In Dallas, two nurses did contract the deadly virus from a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, who later died of the disease. One of those nurses, Nina Pham, was being treated at the National Institutes of Health outside Washington, where she was in fair condition and “resting comfortably,” a spokesman said.
On Saturday, Duncan was remembered by family and friends at a memorial service in a small Southern Baptist church in Salisbury, N.C.
Military preps team for Ebola response in US
By Ben Brumfield
The U.S. military is forming a 30-person "quick strike team" equipped to provide direct treatment to Ebola patients inside the United States, a Defense Department official told CNN's Barbara Starr on Sunday. The team -- made up of doctors, nurses and specialized trainers -- will be under orders to deploy within 72 hours at any time over the next month, the official said.A cruise ship plowed through the waters of a Texas port on Sunday with precious cargo on board -- the end of a small Ebola scare. A passenger had been loosely linked to the only patient to die from the disease in the United States, but health authorities cleared her after an odyssey at sea. After voluntarily isolating herself in her cabin, she remained symptom-free, and her lab tests looked good, the Galveston County Health Authority said. She and a travel partner were allowed to disembark. The news came as the monitoring period neared its end for 48 of the 123 people being monitored after coming into contact with the first person to die of Ebola in the U.S. The cruise ship drama goes back to the woman's work as a lab supervisor at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, the center of a maelstrom of Ebola fears in the United States. It's where Liberian patient Thomas Eric Duncan was misdiagnosed and later died, and where two nurses became the first people to contract Ebola in America. Seventy-five health workers and 48 people in the community are under monitoring after coming into contact with Duncan. The monitoring period for the 48 community members ends at midnight Sunday night, said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who is overseeing response efforts in Dallas.
"Thankfully they are all asymptomatic and it looks like none of them will get Ebola," Jenkins said, expressing hope that they would be welcomed home with no issues. "The community needs to reach out and envelop them in compassion and acceptance because we cannot have the community stigmatizing people. ... They have been through a terrible ordeal."As for the other 75 people, they are in Day 11 since Duncan's death and Jenkins said, "Today is a crucial day for them because is one of the last high-likelihood days that we will see more cases." Hospital apologizes On Sunday, the hospital took out a full-page newspaper ad, once again offering an apology. We slipped up; we're deeply sorry; we'll do better. That could serve as a summary of the open letter from Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan in the Sunday editions of the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The turmoil started in September, when Duncan went to the hospital with Ebola symptoms, and health care workers initially sent him home with antibiotics. They recorded his travel history to West Africa, where a raging Ebola outbreak has killed more than 4,500 people. But they didn't give that detail the necessary attention, the hospital said. "As an institution, we made mistakes in handling this very difficult challenge," Berdan wrote. The hospital is analyzing the errors and will make changes, he said. Hopefully others will also learn from those mistakes and the first cases of Ebola contagion in the country, and its first death, will also be its last, Berdan wrote. White House eyes Dallas At the White House late Saturday, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden pursued the same goal, together with a roster of top security and health leaders -- including Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, national security adviser Susan Rice and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thomas Frieden. They zeroed in on Dallas and the process of tracing anyone who may have come into contact with any of the infected people, a White House statement said. And after Duncan's misdiagnosis, the administration said it intends to "ensure that Dallas has all of the appropriate and necessary resources to diagnose any additional cases safely and effectively." WHO to review Ebola response amid criticism Employee travel scares The cruise ship incident and a second travel scare came about in a bureaucratic loophole. In an abundance of caution to avoid any possible spread of the Ebola virus, about 50 people associated with Texas Health Presbyterian have signed a document legally restricting where they can go until they are cleared of Ebola. But before the voluntary travel ban existed, the lab supervisor and a nurse, who later came down with Ebola, went on trips and triggered hefty responses. The cruise ship carrying the lab supervisor headed to the Central American country of Belize. She had had no direct contact with Duncan but may have handled one of his lab specimens. A doctor on board the ship observed her to make sure she was symptom-free as the incubation period within which the disease would manifest itself approached its end. She appeared to be home free. But in an abundance of caution, the State Department planned to fly the lab supervisor back to the United States from Belize City's airport. Then the country's government declined to let her onto land and, in the same week, imposed strict travel bans on anyone who has had contact with Ebola-affected areas. Chopper fetches blood samples The ship hauled the lab worker back toward Texas and on Saturday, a day before its set arrival time, the U.S. Coast Guard sent down a chopper to collect blood samples for lab testing. It lowered a hoist basket to pick them up. "The samples, which are in a container, so the USCG members are not exposed, were taken by Carnival's onboard doctor," said Petty Officer Andy Kendrick, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman. The other travel scare was set off by one of the nurses who contracted Ebola after treating Duncan. Before her illness was apparent, Amber Vinson took a Frontier Airlines flight to Cleveland, then a flight back to Dallas. After her contagion became known, the air carrier reached out to some 800 passengers, advising them to contact the CDC. Frontier Airlines also took the plane out of service temporarily. In Ohio, 29 people who came into contact with Vinson between October 10 and 13 are being monitored. The nurse has been transferred to Emory University Hospital's isolation unit in Atlanta for treatment. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN on Sunday that he didn't know much about Vinson's condition, but he said Nina Pham, the other Dallas nurse who contracted the illness, was in fair condition and doing "fine." Tears shed for Duncan On Saturday, loved ones honored Duncan's memory in North Carolina, where his mother lives. In a memorial service at Rowan International Church in Salisbury, his nephew Josephus Weeks and others eulogized Duncan as a kind, compassionate man. Weeks said he wished Duncan would be remembered for his acts of kindness "as opposed to the person who brought this disease to America, because he didn't know he was sick." Duncan's willingness to help others may have led to his death at age 42. Former neighbors in Monrovia, Liberia, have said he may have contracted Ebola while rushing to the aid of a woman who collapsed under duress from the disease. She was pregnant, and Duncan did not know she was sick, they said. There is good news There are hopeful signs that some of the Ebola contagion scare in the United States could be winding down. Of the four patients currently being treated, at least two appear to be making a recovery. And the monitoring of 48 people who came into contact with Duncan should draw to a close soon. Duncan was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian on September 28, when he went there the second time. That was the last day the monitored people could have had contact with him. The maximum incubation period for Ebola is 21 days. That period runs out on Monday. Contrast that with West Africa, where the disease continues to spread exponentially, as the international response remains anemic. With predictions that Ebola could infect an additional 5,000 to 10,000 people there per week by December, and given the mobility of world travel, the whirlwind of angst surrounding Duncan's case might not be the last.
Security forces give 36-hour deadline to Khyber Agency extremists
Security forces have dropped pamphlets through helicopters asking militants to surrender or else be ready to face a full fledged military action in Bara Tehseel of Khyber tribal region on Sunday. Official sources said that the Operation Khyber One is underway against militants in Khyber Agency and a 36-hour deadline has been given to militants to renounce arms.
UK to Stage Choir Performance for Malala Yousafzai
http://www.ndtv.com/Nobel Peace Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai will be at the heart of a choir performance here next week which will acclaim her extraordinary story. 'Malala/ A Child of Our Time', composed by James McCarthy and written by Pakistani novelist Bina Shah will be performed here on October 28, Barbican Centre said in a statement. "As a child of our own time, she is celebrated in McCarthy's 'Malala'. Yousafzai shot by the Taliban for her stance on girls' education continues her campaign undaunted. "Her story has inspired the creation of this evocative and profoundly moving work for youth choir, symphony orchestra and chorus," the statement said. Choirs of girls from City of London, Hornsey and St Michael's Catholic schools will deliver the words of the performance, commissioned by the Crouch End Festival Chorus. The 17-year-old Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 was airlifted for a life-saving surgery to Birmingham where she lives with her family now. The young crusader has since become one of the most prominent campaigners for girls' education. Malala emerged as the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month. Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi was the other recipient of the award.
Afghanistan: Capture of senior leaders to 'further weaken' Haqqani network
Two senior leaders of the Haqqani network have been arrested by Afghan security forces; a further blow to the Pakistan-based militant group blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan, says expert Omar Hamid.Anas Haqqani (left), the son of the network's founder, and Hafiz Rashid (right), who was in charge of selecting targets and providing equipment for suicide bombers, were detained on October 14 in a special operation, according to the Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS). "It is one of the biggest and most important arrests by NDS, and has strategic impact on this network and can cause disorder in its operations and weaken its fighting capabilities," the statement said. The NDS added that Anas Haqqani was an expert in computers and the use of propaganda through social networks and was responsible for collecting and preparing funds from Arabic countries to carry out operations. He was reportedly also a special adviser to his brother and network leader Sirajuddin Haqqani. The al Qaeda linked network, which mainly operates out of Pakistan's border areas, has been blamed several deadly attacks in the region including assaults on hotels popular with foreigners in Kabul, a bloody bombing of the Indian embassy and a 2011 attack on the US embassy. Omar Hamid, Head of Asia Pacific Country Risk at IHS, says that while the capture of the two leaders as a laudable act for the Afghan security forces, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to resist against sustained attacks by the Taliban.
DW: What impact is the capture of the two senior leaders likely to have on the militant network?
Omar Hamid: In the past couple of years, the Haqqanis suffered the losses of key leadership figures as a result of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes and assassinations within Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have immeasurably weakened the group.The capture of two more key members by the Afghan security forces will only further weaken the group.
What does the capture of these militants say about the ability of the Afghan security forces?While the work of the Afghan security forces in arresting these militants has been laudable, there remains a major question of their ability to resist against sustained attacks by the Taliban, as their performance in this regard has been undoubtedly mixed.
Who is the Haqqani network?
The Haqqani Network is a group affiliated with, but not directly under, the Afghan Taliban. The Haqqanis area of operations is a cluster of eastern provinces, like Khost, Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. The Afghan government has long alleged that the Haqqani network has often carried out operations in Afghanistan, and especially in Kabul, at the behest of Pakistan's intelligence agencies, with whom they are alleged to have a long standing relationship.
In which areas is the organization mainly active and what kind of support does it enjoy among the local population?Due to their position, the Haqqanis have often acted as go betweens and mediators between different militant groups, including the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, and core Al Qaeda.But the Haqqanis primary interest has always been personal, and limited to control over narcotics, smuggling and cargo moving within the provinces controlled by them.
What measures should the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan take to eliminate the group from their territories?It won't be easy to eliminate the group for two main reasons: first, the Afghan government has a very low degree of control over the areas occupied by the militants. Second, given the fundamental misunderstandings and misgivings between Islamabad and Kabul, cooperation between the two governments on this issue is unlikely. However, a concerted effort is essential if the militant network is to be eliminated anytime soon.
Bilawal Bhutto takes notice of heinous robbery from Abdul Sattar Edhi’s charity
http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/I have taken notice of the heinous robbery from Abdul Sattar Edhi’s charity. I am shocked, saddened and above all disappointed that any Pakistani could sink so low as to steal the money meant for the poor people of Pakistan. Edhi is a selfless Pakistani hero, a philanthropist who has spent his entire life serving the people of his country and in particular its children. In 1994 “Katputlyion” of the day tried to force Edhi to join their attempted coup against the Pakistan Peoples Party government. An honest, brave and principled man, Edhi refused. Today “na maloon afraad” have stolen from his charity in Karachi. This is a moment of shame for my city and my country. However, as I said in my speech yesterday, if we all work together we can protect and build a prosperous Karachi. I appeal to the government to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of these thieves. I appeal to the people of Karachi to be brave and come forward to share any information that they might have about this unfortunate incident. Together our efforts can build a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Pakistan. Together we will forge peace. InshAllah
Iran Says Militants Entering From Pakistan
An Iranian military official says Tehran has proof that militants are entering Iran from Pakistan to carry out attacks.
Abdollah Araghi, a senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said on state television on October 18 that the issue will be pursued through "diplomatic channels."
He added that his forces have given documents to Iranian officials that show militants crossing into Iran from Pakistan.
Araghi's claim comes one day after Pakistan's Frontier Corps said Iranian border guards opened fire at a patrol van, killing a member of the Frontier Corps and wounding three others.
On October 16, Iranian Brigadier General Hussein Salami warned Pakistan that Iranian forces could enter Pakistani territory to "prevent terrorists" from coming into Iran.
Four Iranian guards were killed by unknown attackers in the eastern Iranian Province of Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan.
Pakistan: Love for Benazir pulls women from all corners of Sindh towards Bilawal
The Express TribuneInayat Khatoon came to Karachi with one thing in mind. All she wants to do is hold Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in her arms and tell him that she will be there for him the same way she was there for his mother and his grandfather before him. With a Pakistan Peoples Party flag wrapped around her head, Inayat said that it felt nice to see brave young men as the party chairperson taking lead. “He reminds me of his grandfather so much,” said the resident of Larkana. “I have been to all of the party’s rallies in Sindh from the time of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. I was also there seven years ago when the twin blasts happened at Karsaz.” She added that she could not miss Bilawal’s first jalsa at all. “He is like our son. We need to be here for him to show him that we care. He is the son of Sindh.” Inayat did not seem to mind waiting for the young leader to come up on stage. “We have been here since 11am,” she said. “Waiting a few more hours to see him won’t do any harm to us.” If she ever gets to meet Bilawal in person, Inayat said, she will tell him that they are there for him. Sitting next to Inayat was Ghulam Zohra, who is also from Larkana, “I am glad I could come here to see him,” said Zohra. “All of us took the bus the day before and wanted to be here in time to see Bilawal on stage. Even if the party doesn’t do anything for us, it is enough to know that there is someone there.” Ma Bibi says she has been supporting the PPP since she was in her mother’s womb. “My father was a big supporter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and all of us grew up loving him and his children,” she said. “We are hoping to see Bilawal here today. I saw his mother when she was very young and unmarried. It is amazing to see Bilawal all grown up.” Shama, a resident of Orangi Town, said there was no question of not attending the October 18 jalsa. “Benazir helped me get a job when I needed it most,” she said. “How could I miss her son’s jalsa? I am thankful to her for helping me out. It is a debt I can never repay.” Rani was very emotional at the rally. She said that her love for the party and the Bhutto family could not be measured. “We have always supported them and will continue to do so till the moment we die,” she said. Hina, 25, was rushing to get a good seat. “I have come here with people from my office,” she said. “We are here to support Bilawal as he represents the youth.” Decked in ajrak from head to toe, Qirtas, a university student from Karachi, said there was no way she was going to miss the rally. “I was very upset when I missed the Sindh Festival,” she said. “I will stay here till Bilawal speaks.”
Pakistan: Bhuttoism can save country from civil war: Bilawal
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said that only Bhuttoism could save the country from civil war as it’s the only political philosophy that calls for unity of the people and the state.
Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto spells out bold agenda for PPP
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday outlined a bold and ambitious agenda for his party and vowed to foil “conspiracies hatched” to derail democracy.Speaking at a mammoth rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah, near the mausoleum of the Quaid-i-Azam, he said some external and internal forces wanted to push the country into the kind of civil war raging in Syria and Iraq, claiming that only Bhuttoism could save the nation. Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s speech lasted about 90 minutes and was punctuated by almost all well-known slogans of the PPP. He touched on most issues confronting the country and inveighed against the `puppets’ staging dharnas in Islamabad, the Nawaz government, perceived involvement of the Shahbaz government in the Model Town killings, the judiciary and even the Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief`Uncle Altaf’. He dwelt at length on what he described as sacrifices rendered by leaders of the PPP, especially former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. He underlined the need for free and fair elections in 2018 and transparency in governance. Referring to Karachi, the PPP’s 26-year-old chief said it was not only the country’s economic hub and mini-Pakistan, but also the “chain that holds the federation together”. Indeed, he added, Karachi was the `Koh-i-Noor’ in the crown of Sindh where besides old Sindhis, new Sindhis, Urdu-speaking people, Punjabis, Pathans, Seraikis, the Baloch, Bengalis and Kashmiris lived. “If all of us join hands, we can make it a cradle of peace and a great city.” Addressing the prime minister, he asked him to give Karachi its due as it was not just a Sindh city, but the only megalopolis of the country. As such, he added, the centre should contribute to the provincial government’s fight against “all sorts of mafias” by coming up with a generous package. In a vaguely worded warning, Mr Bhutto-Zardari cautioned unidentified forces against attempts to subvert the Sindh government. The PPP leader said it was high time that “we unite to banish terrorism, dictatorship and poverty”. He called for resolution of Kashmir issue, saying it was a part of PPP manifesto. He did not mince his words while talking about the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. “The MQM has been in power in Karachi for the past 20 years and everyone knows what has gone on over the two decades. “But we will not give up Karachi. Let us join hands to build our city and turn it into a cradle of peace.” The youthful leader was highly derisive of the Tehrik-i-Insaf, terming its sit-in a drama and alleging that it wanted to become the “MQM of Lahore”. “The PTI should realise that it is enjoying freedom only because of Bhuttoism. Had there still been dictatorship in the country, your fate would have been no different from Akbar Bugti.” The PPP chief invited the prime minister and the Muttahida to “work with me to serve the people. Pakistan can make progress if all come together”. He called upon the people to “wake up” as the country was facing grave threats. The country had to be saved from “political orphans” by defeating them in the next elections, he added. He invited PPP members across the country to attend the party’s anniversary convention on Nov 30 at Bilawal House, Lahore. Decisions would be taken on their suggestion for reorganisation of the party and for thrashing out its new programme. The PPP chief asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to correct the direction of the federal government “We have not forgotten episodes like imprisonment of Asif Zardari and the memogate scandal, but are only supporting the government for the sake of democracy.” Referring to “the outcry against rigging” in last year’s elections, Mr Bilawal- Zardari said his party had been cheated in every elections. He expressed a hope that if the 2018 elections were held in a transparent manner, Karachi “will win its freedom”. He Paying tributes to the enthusiasm of and spirit of people present at the Bagh-i-Jinnah he said he was standing before the tomb of Quaid-i-Azam, Father of the Nation who gave Pakistan, but the life did not gave him time to give the nation gift of the democracy but this dream was fulfilled by Quaid-i-Awam by giving 1973 constitution. The mission of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was taken up by Benazir Bhutto to give back rights to people and peoples power should be used in the interest of the people. He said in Pakistan there had always been two forces in Pakistan one is Bhuttoism and the other are follower of dictatorship. He recalled the sacrifices of the PPP in the struggle for democracy in the country against dictatorship including bomb explosion in the mammoth rally of Benazir Bhutto on Oct 18, 2007, in Karachi and martyrdom on Dec 27 in Rawalpindi. He said Bhuttoism is against extremism, and dictatorship an did not indulge in politics of religion, ethnicity and region but only of Pakistan because PPP is the symbol of Federation and Bhuttoism the chain of the country. He said if there would be no PPP, the caravans of light would lost their way. He said Nawaz Sharif is the prime minister of Pakistan but he had spent all resources to check sit-ins. He said the sit-ins were also staged against the PPP government but we rolled back our government in Balochistan after the sit-ins by Hazara community while in the government of Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif 14 people were killed ad an FIR was also registered against him but he is product of Ziaul Haq.
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